698 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
July 2, 1887. 
these plants for a second year, and had ample space to 
tend them, and could have had quite grand masses, 
hut I was compelled to devote them the second year to 
terrace decoration, and had to begin with young plants 
over again. Easily as zonal Pelargoniums, and 
Fuchsias too, are to he grown, yet, as a rule, these are 
the worst done plants at our suburban shows ; whereas, 
with the grand kinds we have now in such abundance, 
they should make brilliant features at all our flower 
shows.— A. 1). 
-- 
HERBACEOUS AND ALPINE 
PLANTS IN FLOWER. 
The Hop.ned Violet. —For flower beds or panelled 
borders Viola cornuta would be out of place, especially 
in view of the enlarged and greatly improved forms of 
it now widely distributed over the length and breadth 
of the country. The pretty pale lilac-purple flowers, 
with the peculiarly diverging upper petals, which have 
earned for it the specific name, render it quaint and 
attractive for a cool place on the rockwork. 
The Horse-shoe Vetch (Hippoorepis comosa) is 
one of the prettiest yellow-flowered procumbent plants 
that clothe the sides of our chalk hills during the months 
of June and July. It is equally attractive and desire- 
able for clothing the banks and projecting ledges of 
our rockeries, provided there is sufficient depth of soil 
behind for the roots to dip down into, and thereby 
obtain supplies of moisture. 
Claytonta sibirica. —The North American species, 
C. perfoliata, is, probably, best known in gardens, but 
as an ornamental plant, it is certainly inferior to the 
subject of this note, which is perennial and quite 
hardy. At no time does it exceed a few inches in 
height, the sub-fleshy leaves forming a rosette from 
amongst which the flower stems arise, bearing pretty 
rose-coloured flowers, much larger than those of C. 
perfoliata. A plant on a rockery will keep flowering all 
the summer. 
Erigeron attrantiacus. —There are several very 
distinct and ornamental species of this genus that may 
be grown either on the rockery or in the herbaceous 
border; but this Turkestan species is particularly 
adapted for the adornment of the former with its large 
deep orange-coloured flower heads 2 ins. across, borne 
singly on stems 9 ins. to 12 ins. high. 
Thymus serpyllum coccinea. — Messrs. James 
Backhouse & Son, York, send us a beautiful new 
variety of our native wild Thyme. It is not scarlet, as 
the name would indicate, neither, it can be safely said, 
can we expect to find that colour in the genus. The 
flowers are, moreover, of an intense or brilliant rosy 
purple, with a crimson spot on the lip, and a small 
white one in the throat. The specimen sent was 
dwarf, compact, and very floriferous, every short 
branch terminating in a head of flowers. For creeping 
over mounds, or overhanging large stones in a 
moderately cool place on the rockery no plant is more 
suitable. 
Erinus alpinus. —There is a distinct white-flowered 
variety of this plant, but in point of beauty the purple- 
flowered typical form is the best—all things considered. 
The white variety, however, is sufficiently distinct and 
pretty to be grown as a companion plant to the other. 
Neither are they very long-lived plants when left in 
the open air during winter ; but they seed freely, and 
seedlings germinate readily where the old plants grew. 
Veronica rupestris. —Of all the forms of V. 
teucrium, none produces a more brilliant effect than 
the subject of this note, universally known in gardens 
as V. rupestris. The variety called V. prostrata is 
probably the more closely allied, but flowers three weeks 
earlier and is less vigorous than this. The long trailing 
stems, furnished with evergreen leaves, are excellently 
suited for covering banks and rockwork, and the amount 
of bloom annually produced is something that should 
be realised by everyone possessed of a garden. 
Rosemary-leaved Rock Rose. —Notwithstanding 
the ephemeral duration of all the Rock Roses, many of 
them are indeed pretty, as is Helianthemum rosmarini- 
folium, to be seen at Chiswick in the Gardens of the 
Royal Horticultural Society. The leathery evergreen 
leaves are revolute at the margin, and resemble, to some 
extent, those of Rosemary, as the specific name implies. 
The pure white flowers are produced in succession over 
a considerable length of time. 
Plantain-leaved Thrift.—T he typical form of 
this species is not to be despised ; but the rose colour 
of the flower-head of Armeria plantaginea rosea is very 
much intensified, and a mass of it is, indeed, an 
attractive rock-plant, which, when thoroughly estab¬ 
lished, thrives in drier places than many subjects of 
similar habit would, on account of its deeply-pene¬ 
trating roots. It is flowering finely in the Royal 
Horticultural Society’s Gardens, Chiswick. 
Alpine Catchfly.— Amongst the smaller-flowered 
species of Silene that are sufficiently distinct and decided 
in colour to merit attention in gardens, S. alpestris is 
one of the best, and will always maintain its position 
as an attractive rock-plant. It is a long-lived perennial 
and perfectly hardy in the severest winters. The 
flowers are pure white, with curiously-lobed or toothed 
petals. Propagation is easily effected by cuttings or 
by division. A specimen is flowering on the new 
rockery at Devonhurst, Chiswick. 
Inula glandulosa.— Although it cannot compare 
with the stately grandeur of I. Helenium, the largest 
British herb, yet, from a decorative point of view, the 
flower-heads individually are much finer, and from 
2J ins. to 3 ins. in diameter. The numerous golden 
yellow rays, together with the long singular-looking 
glandular bracts surrounding the head, lend interest 
and novelty to this Caucasian species, whose stems 
attain a height of 2 ft. or thereabout, terminating in a 
single flower-head. Mr. Walker, of Whitton, grows 
large quantities of it for market. 
Rhodanthe Manglesi. —The quantity of this fine 
West Australian annual now grown in this country, 
both for market and private purposes, furnishes ample 
evidence of its popularity and decorative value. Mr. 
Matthews, market grower, Whitton, cultivates both 
the typical rosy coloured and the white varieties in 
great quantity in pots ; and those only who have 
seen it well grown in this way can form a proper 
estimate of its ornamental character. Rhodanthe is 
now sunk in the genus Helipterum by some. 
-- 
Hardening 
ISCELLANY. 
A Monster Campanula. —Messrs. J. Veitch 
& Sons have sent us a huge and singular-looking form 
of Campanula medium calycanthemum. It has lost its 
bell-shaped character, and resembles a huge bowl or 
basin stood in a broad ornamental plate, deeply lobed 
or scalloped at the margin. The ovary seems to have 
become lost in the general expansion and flattening of 
the flower, and is only discernible by its pale green 
colour and hairy character. The flower stalk beneath 
it seems slightly fasciated and is somewhat coloured 
blue. The calyx is 12-lobedand deep purplish blue, 
constituting the broad flat plate in which the corolla 
resembling a basin is seated, and measuring about 
4f ins. in diameter. The reflexed recesses of the calyx 
as seen in the normal form of the species have entirely 
disappeared. The corolla, measuring about 4 ins. in 
diameter, is coloured similarly to the calyx, and has 
the same number of short reflexed, cuspidate lobes at 
the margin. The stamens are much more numerous 
than usual, and the huge 'style is cut into numerous 
twisted snake-like segments at the apex. 
Planting and Thinning. —Much has been 
written on this head, like many other primary garden 
operations, without having the effect of deterring many 
from their usual practice of cramming roots of young 
plants into soddened soil. When this is done, especially 
if the soil is heavy and tenacious, it is long before the 
roots move away into active growth ; and it sometimes 
happens, especially with Cauliflower, Lettuce and 
Celery, that the plant receives a check which drives 
them to premature seeding or “bolting.” On sandy 
and light open soil this is not so general, but when the 
tissues of a plant become hard and dried, seeding 
invariably follows. Free growth is more likely to 
follow when a trowel is used in preference to a dibble 
in planting. For all the Brassica tribe of plants we 
draw deep drills, and after free growth takes place a 
good hoeing places the soil nicely round the stems, 
and no further “earthing up” is required. Much 
mischief is often done by allowing plants, such as 
Turnips, Carrots, Spinach, Beet, Parsnips, Onions, 
&c., to remain unthinned till they are matted together 
and drawn up, when it is impossible to get dwarf, 
firm and vigorous plants by any after treatment. If 
the seed has been inadvertently sown too thickly, and 
the seedlings come up in a mass, they should be gone 
over as soon as they can be handled, taking out tufts 
so that the plants may be able to develop their growth 
early in the season, and the proper thinning given as soon 
as the plants will allow of it with safety. It is not to 
vegetables alone that errors by tardy action in thinning 
is committed, but annuals, &e., in borders, as well as 
seedlings raised in pots, are often severely crippled by 
neglect in their early stages.— M. T. 
Fruit Prospects in tlie Midlands.—This 
is anything but a cheery subject upon which to write. 
The splendid show of bloom gave great promise of a 
heavy yield of fruit, particularly of Strawberries, Pears 
and Apples. Alas ! our hopes are blighted, and in 
many instances the return will be almost nil. This is, 
indeed, a serious matter in such a fruit-growing district, 
and means ruin to many. The Apple orchards were a 
sight very seldom seen : the many different varieties 
grown producing in every instance different tinted 
blossoms can be better imagined than described. At 
the present time it is difficult to estimate the crop, but 
I think I may safely say it will be much under the 
average, taken all round. Pears have stood much 
better, and many standard kinds are heavily fruited ; 
on the walls they are very variable, many of the best 
kinds not producing a single fruit, on healthy vigorous 
trees. Passe Colmar, Doyenne du Comice and Glou 
Morceau are some of the delinquents, whereas Louise 
Bonne of Jersey, Marie Louise, Jargonelle, Beurre 
Ranee (Williams), Madame Treyve, Beurre de la 
Assomption, Yan Mons. and Althorp Crassane are 
carrying good crops. I ought to add, with regard 
to the Apple crop, that in the garden we have an 
excellent promise of the following kinds :—Ribston 
Pippin, Blenheim Orange, Worcester Pearmain, Lord 
Suffield, Warner’s King, Cox’s Orange Pippin, Haw- 
thornden, and several others, while off several large 
trees of Quarrenden we shall not obtain a dish of fruit. 
Strawberries promised to be most abundant; but we 
have been compelled to water freely to obtain even a 
short crop. Raspberries, too, flowered very freely ; 
but unless rain soon comes all hope of a yield must be 
abandoned. Bush fruits of all kinds are a heavy crop, 
and with us stand well. Not so with all, for I know 
of an instance, on rather high ground, where one grower 
lost 150 bushels of Gooseberries, which dropped off the 
trees thus early in the season. Evidently fruit-growing 
is not so lucrative as some imagine. Currants of all 
kinds stand W'ell and will be abundant; but not so 
with Plums. The long-prevailing easterly winds have 
been conducive to the production of an immense amount 
of blight, which has wrought sad havoc in both foliage 
and fruit, in many instances causing the total loss of 
the crop. This, in a district in which thousands of 
pots per day are despatched by rail, means a very 
serious loss. Of course,- there are some exceptions ; 
but I write of the majority, and with regret. Apricots 
are a good crop, and Peaches a heavy one. The trees 
are also exceptionally healthy, which augurs well for 
next season. Taken altogether, the outlook is far from 
comforting ; but should we shortly obtain the much- 
needed rain, from the light crop of fruit they are 
carrying we may reasonably hope for a better return in 
1888, and I ardently hope such may be the case.— 
Walter Child, Croome Court. 
Victoria Regia.—Perhaps the finest specimen 
of this which has yet been grown in the Royal Botanic 
Society’s garden at Regent’s Park, is now 1 in flower 
there. The first flower opened on June 15th, and a 
good succession of them has been kept up since, and is 
likely to continue for some time. Floating on the 
tank are the wonderfully constructed leaves, each 
6 ft. across, and with a fence-like rim 5 ins. in 
depth. Many stories have been told of the great 
strength and buoyancy of the leaves of this plant, with 
their marvellous cellular structure beneath ; but a test 
which Mr. William Coomber, the courteous superinten¬ 
dent, made one year, by gradually and equally dis¬ 
tributing sand over a mature leaf, gives a most striking 
proof of it; the leaf bore, without breaking or sinking, 
more than 400 lbs. weight of sand. Also in bloom in 
the tank-house with the Victoria, are the red Nymphsea 
Devoniensis, N. dentata, Nelumbium speciosum, the 
charming sky-blue Eichornea azurea, the noble Sagit- 
taria montevidiense, and other interesting aquatics ; 
while in one corner is the pretty white-flowered stove 
shrub Wrightia Zeylanica, so densely set with flowers 
that we should think it would be a good plant to grow 
extensively for cut flowers. 
